Tag: figurative oil painting

Maryna Tsoneva grew up in Soviet Ukraine surrounded by grey streets and scarcity, but one art book changed everything. Today she paints portraits in oil that don’t just resemble people, they hold what they carry inside. Through restrained brushwork and quiet emotional depth, her faces invite viewers to pause, look closer, and feel the unspoken stories beneath the surface.

Five women. Five different paths. One shared way of working through careful looking and steady practice. This feature follows Stephanie Birdsall, Amy Verhoeff, Lori Putnam, Robin Cheers, and Carolyn Lindsey as they move between studio and outdoor painting, teaching and exhibiting, and the everyday routines that shape their work.